Waste Transfer Station Approved

February 13, 1996|By Scott Gregory.

West Chicago — Although city officials have granted a developer permission to build a landscape waste transfer station, it remained unclear, because of a restriction, whether the facility will be constructed.

The transfer station at 1195 W. Washington St. would store landscaping waste before it is shipped to an out-of-town facility.

In granting developer William Brown the special-use permit he requested, aldermen required that he reapply for the permit after five years. An attorney for Brown told aldermen that the requirement will complicate funding and may kill the project.

City officials said last week that they had not heard word whether Brown, who could not be reached for comment, plans to build at the site.

Experience with a former compost facility on Fabyan Parkway caused officials to be cautious in approving a project that would only store and not dispose of waste but could cause environmental pollution, city administrator Don Foster said.

"A tremendous odor wafted its way through the city," Foster said of problems with the composting site.

"We're not saying that there will be a problem," he said, "but if this is not successful, there is a period of time" for review.

Plan approval included provisions for an extensive list of safeguards, including restrictions on hours of operation, covers on transportation trucks to prevent the dropping of waste, and the right for the city to make inspections.